James. The road trip was fun and fulfilling. Things didn't happen as we had hoped, but we were glad to be alive. "You need to change your pep talk, mom. You and Uncle Caleb got me in knots," I said, and everyone laughed, especially my father. "You needed to see them when they were in school. The three of them, Caleb, Kirk and Tia, were inseparable and haven't left their military ways," my father said, and my mother smacked his hand. Watching their love grow, never changing, never fading, ever increasing in intensity, honesty, and reverence for each other was amazing. They genuinely loved each other. I hoped Olivia and I could have that. I felt we were on the right path. We arrived at the base, and I was too eager to see my mate that I left everything to Paul, but Paul declined and told me he wanted to check on Amanda. I suspected something was up between them; maybe her near-death experience had brought things into focus for him. I did not want to jump to conclusions, but I hope

James.I let a day pass waiting for Caspian's response, but it never came, so I sprang into action. His silence wasn't a sign of fear; he was getting prepared. Paul and I headed to the base to get our troops ready. Olivia was nervous, I could see it, but she understood it was long overdue. All we had done since that bastard took over our island was buy time for the inevitable, and this was it. The war was finally upon us. I could only hope we would win. My people did not know I had a new fire, and it was best that way. I wanted them to give their best on the battlefield. While we drove through town, I found the incredible support Paul and I were getting. They were cheering us on with supportive words on their cards. I was overwhelmed by the number of turnouts, even though they believed my mark was no longer active. Some cards read:"You do not need fire to lead us, Alpha; we will follow you to the very end.""We are not afraid of being feral, but we won't bow to a foreign alpha,"

Olivia I could not believe what had just happened with Paul. I never knew Paul had such feelings for me. It seemed a bit off, but hearing James mention it in detail made me realise it. It felt a bit off that James would propose something like that. If I had to have two mates, I would rather have Paul. He was perfect, sweet and sensitive, and I can never forget that he was the one that took me home and stood up for me. He was the one that was there, defending me and making sure no one hurt me. He was there before James and continued to be there. Had I known how he had felt, I would have kept myself open to it. Seeing James's seriousness, he clearly wanted this to work out. I wondered how long he had thought of it. Hearing him explain his reasons and give time stamps were amazing. I felt awkward and sad that I did not see love in front of me. The only difference between Paul and James was that James was bold enough to act on his emotions, which made me reciprocate his love. I

Olivia. I showered and left the office to go to the right wing. I came across Tristan in the hallway, and he looked nervous. I couldn't blame him. It was taking a lot for me to remain calm. Our loved ones had gone to war, and no matter their determination to return, it was still up to the war's outcome. I smiled at him, and he nodded. "I will be at your disposal, Luna Olivia," Tristan said, and I shook my head. "Please call me Olivia," I said, and he nodded. "Olly," I heard Grandma Stacy in my head, and I knew she wanted to see me. I hadn't seen my mother since she returned, but I had to go and see what Grandma Stacy wanted. I looked in the direction of my mother's room and decided I would come back up after seeing Stacy. "Yes," I replied. "Glad you are home; meet me in the lounge where we can observe the war," She said, sounding nervous, and I looked at Tristan. "Do you want to hang out with us in the lounge? I know it isn't fun for you, and the time might not..." I said, and

James The battle was fully on. I could not shake off what Caspian had said about attacking the mansion, but I trusted Tristan and Lyle to handle it. We just had to keep going until the end. Paul and I tag-teamed Caspian's people, and with it was a full-blown battle. Soon his people began to back out. It appeared they were not expecting to fight. I could understand them to be that way since Caspian had held on to the Woodclaw through blackmail and fear, but it all did not seem to work. I advanced toward Caspian when suddenly, people from the sea began to shoot at us. The bullets met their mark. "It's lead," Someone linked me, and I got angry. I was grateful it wasn't silver but pissed off because we had almost won. I looked at Caspian, and he began to laugh. I wondered who would come to his aid. I now understood why they had lined up at the port for the battle. They were waiting for help. Some of our men began to shoot at the attackers blindly, but that did not stop them from